Rhythm stick



1952 E. E. MASSEY 2,620,701

RHYTHM STICK Filed April 30, 1951 J&

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Patented Dec. 9, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Claims.

My invention relates to a rhythm stick adapted for producing single or multiple tones by striking lightly upon the strings of musical instruments such as a guitar or other similarly stringed instruments.

An important object of the invention is to provide a device of the above character which when applied to the strings of the stringed instruments mentioned will, when struck lightly or tapped, produce a completely different tone or sound, said tone varying according to the different parts of the rhythm stick which are caused to contact the strings.

Another object is to provide in such a device materials of a character which will produce tones or sounds having a new and different resonance quality.

Another object is to provide a rhythm stick whereby a musician can obtain a single or a variety of tones all depending on whether he strikes a single string or a full set of strings and whether or not he uses a metal striker, a combination of metal and rubber striker or a rubber striker alone to produce a bell tone, a mellow tone or a soft mellow tone in his selection of single or collective tones.

A further object is to provide a rhythm stick to produce a percussion tone effect which will synchronize with the harmony of the strings as a result of being struck rather than picked.

A still further object is to provide a rhythm stick which is simple to operate, its use in executing tremolos being easier to master than the use of the plectrum pick.

Other objects, features and advantages of invention will hereinafter appear.

Referring in detail to the drawings wherein is shown a preferred embodiment of the invention:

Fig. l is a plan view of the musical tone producing instrument with the tip portion of the rubber striker directed upwardly.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the structure shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the rubber striker holder per se.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged section taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged section taken on line 5--5 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary view, the plane of section being indicated by line 6-6 on Fig. 1.

Referring in detail to the drawing, therein is shown an elongated handle 1, an elongated, hollow frusto-conically shaped metal striker 8 having a reduced shank portion 9 at the larger end mounted within said handle, and a rubber striker It mounted in an elongated opening or slot H in the tapered wall of the metal striker, a part of the length of the slot II and rubber striker 10 which occupies it being circumferentiallydefiected as indicated at l6, said wall having along each side of said opening a flange 1 2 which is directed inwardly and away from the opening to house the cross-sectionally keyhole shaped rubber striker adapted to be fed into said sinusoidal opening in an endwise manner.

The top and bottom surfaces l3 and H of the handle, as seen in Figs. 1 and 2, are knurled and when gripped by the fingers the thumb will ex tend along the under side and the second or sec- 0nd and third finger will overlie and extend along the top side of the handle, so that the remaining fingers can be utilized to tap the pointed end portion of the rhythm stick thus causing the latter to repeatedly strike the strings and produce a tremolo or staccato sound efiect when desired.

The opening I! as seen in Fig. 3 has a short length l5 at the smaller end of the rhythm stick on one side of the sinus curve l6 and a long length I! between the sinus curve [6 and the handle 1. The reason for this is to enable the player to use the tip or end portion of the rubber striker, as indicated at l8 in Fig. 1, to strike against a single string and the longer length l9 of the rubber striker to strike against the full set of strings after said tip portion has been projected ahead sufficiently to clear the full set of strings. In the latter position the stick can be operated, by slightly manipulating the fingers holding the instrument and by slightly twisting the wrist, to produce a soft mellow tone by contacting the rubber striker portion I 9 only; or combinations of mellow bell tone or full bell tones by using rubber and metal or metal alone.

In Fig. 6 a closure element 20 is shown for closing the remaining open portion of the more pointed end of the rhythm stick.

Describing in further detail the striker 8, it will be seen by referring to Fig. 3 that the opening II has a narrow throat portion 22 which is less in width than the space between the free ends of the inturned flanges l2, owing to said flanges transversely diverging. Said contracted throat portion transversely gripping the rubber striker it] between its outer and inner keylike parts as viewed in cross section. Hence there will be a convex, rounded projecting part 23 of said rubber striker [0 to co-operate with the metal striker 8 in producing the aforesaid different tone effects. The aforesaid flanges l2 cooperate to grip between them the indented portions of the aforesaid keylike shaped structure when the rubber striker has been inserted in an endwise fashion into the elongated opening provided therefor.

The material of the rubber striker is exceptionally tough and of the hardness necessary to give durability. The exposed, convex outer surface portion of the rubber should be vulcanized to give it a smooth surface.

It will be observed that different portions of the length of the aforementioned slot I! (which consists of the sections [5, l6 and l'!) occupy different circumferential portions of the rhythm stick considered as a whole. Hence when the rubber striker I is fed into said slot the diiferent sections of the length of the projecting portion of said striker ID will extend along parallel lines lengthwise of the metal striker 8 located in different circumferential positions, so that the player can execute different tone effects simply by shifting it lengthwise, as well as by changing its circumferential position in relation to the strings being struck. As viewed in cross section .the striker H] is provided with opposed indentations at the juncture of the rounded and fiat portions of the keyhole shaped striker, and this indented part of the strip is gripped between the sides of the slot or throat portion 22.

The handle I may be constructed of any desirable material, for example ebony, wood or even metal, if desired, and is desirably made in one piece.

, In use the rhythm stick is held by the handle .1 between the thumb and first and second fingers, the device being held in the position shown in Fig. 2 to produce a metallic or bell tone on one .or all the strings, it depending on the choice of the musician as to how many strings are bridged.

When a soft or subdued tone is desired the rhythm stick is slightly turned so that the rubher I0 is engageable with the strings, or when it is desired to use a combination of the metal striker 8 and of the rubber striker Hi, this is done by holding the rhythm stick in such a position as to cause the rubber and metal adjacent to it simultaneously to strike the strings.

The extreme end portion of the rubber striker is used to producesingle soft tones on any desired string, and the tip portion of the rhythm stick opposite thereto is utilized to produce single bell tones in the same manner, but if a combination of tones is desired the rhythm stick as a whole is shifted far enough past the last string to allow theoperator, by imparting to the stick a combined turning and oscillatory movement, to bring either the metal or the rubber, or a combination of the two, into a sound producing contact with the strings, so as to produce different tones at the option of the player.

I claim:

1. A rhythm stick comprising an elongated hollow body the wall of which is longitudinally slotted, and a strip of material having opposed indentations which produce therein a narrowed cross section, said narrow cross-sectional part of said strip being fitted between the walls of said slot, said strip having a tone quality which :is different from the tone quality of said elongated hollow body.

2. The subject matter of claim 1 and the wall portion of said hollow rhythm stick being extended inwardly along each side of said slot thus forming flanges which abut side portions of the strip contained in said slot.

3. The subject matter of claim 2 and said flanges transversely diverging from each other.

4. An instrument of the kind described comprising a handle and a tapping member carried by said handle, said member consisting of an elongated body portion having one quality of resonance, and a strip of material having a quality of resonance different from said first named quality extending lengthwise of said body and secured thereto, said body and said strip being selectively contactable with the strings of a stringed instrument, said elongated tapping member being tapered away from said handle and a part of the length of said strip being circumferentially deflected.

5. An instrument as claimed in claim 4 and said elongated tapping member being hollow and having a slot with a circumferentially deflected portion cut lengthwise in the wall thereof, and said strip of material of difierent resonance qluality being elastic and mounted within said s o EVERETT E. MASSEY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 555,599 Essig Mar. 3, 1896 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 23,929 Great Britain Dec. .13, .1895 

